Atomizer



Feb. 16, 1943. A. H. BAHNSON, .1R

ATOMIZER Filed Jan. 8, 1941 Patented Feb. 16, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ATOMIZER Agnew H. Bahnson, Jr., Winston-Salem, N. C., assignor to The Bahnson Company, Winston- Salem, N. C., a corporation of North Carolina Application January 8, 1941, Serial No. 373,651

11 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to atomizers, and more particularly to atomizers such as are employed in humidlfying systems.

Various constructions have been proposed to eifect the automatic cleaning of the water nozzle, or both the water and the air nozzles, each time that the atomizer is put out of operation by cutting oil' the air supply. The prior constructions have been relatively complex, and the costs of installation and maintenance have therefore been relatively high. Furthermore, the expected advantages of an automatic cleaning of the air nozzle have not been attained in all cases an'd, in general, the prior designs have been such that only a slight wear or mis-adjustment of the moving parts shifted the air and water nozzles out of their intended coaxial relation and thus decreased the evaporative capacity of the atomizer.

An object of this invention is to provide an atomizer of the type in which a liquid is sprayed or atomized by a stream of gas; the atomizer including mechanism for automatically cleaning the water nozzle upon an interruption of the gas supply, and manually operable mechanism for cleaning the air nozzle. An object is to provide an atomizer having concentric air and water nozzles that are adjustable axially from the exterior of the atomizer to regulate the effective capacity of the atomizer. An object is to provide an atomizer including a casing member having an air inlet stem by which the casing member is supported on a pressure air line, a nozzle assembly within the casing member, and end caps threaded to the casing member to retain the nozzle assembly in place, one end cap having a threaded stem for connection to the water supply pipe. A further object is to provide an atomizer of the type stated in which the outer end cap is adjustable on the casing member to regulate the effective capacity of the atomizer.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following speciiication when taken with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a central transverse section through an atomizer embodying the invention:

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are top plan, side and end elevations, respectively, of the atomizer; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are schematic sectional views. on a larger scale, of the cleaning rod and nozzle elements when adjusted for cleaning and maximum discharge, respectively.

The atomizer is to'be supported in the usual manner by a pipe connection to the air supply line, not shown, and the axis of the atomizer may be at any desired angle to vertical and horizontal reference planes. For convenience of description, it will be assumed that the atomizer is arranged with its axis horizontal and directly above the air inlet connection.

The air inlet to the atomizer casing is through the supporting stem I that preferably comprises a short pipe threaded into a lateral opening in the cylindrical shell 2 of the atomizer casing. A front cap 3 is threaded upon one end of the shell 2, and the casing is completed by the cap 4 that is threaded into the counterbored rear end of the shell. The projecting stem 5 of the rear cap 4 is threaded to take the compression nut 6 by which the water supply pipe 1 is connected to the atomizer.

The forward end of the cap 4 is counterbored to provide a cylindrical guide for the hollow piston rod 8 of the nozzle assembly. The water nozzle 9 projects axially from the forward enlarged end of the piston rod 8, the enlarged end being threaded to receive the centrally apertured cap I0 that cooperates with the water nozzle 9 to provide an annular air outlet around the water nozzle. A cleaning rod Il is supported rigidly within the piston rod 8 by the end cap 4, and water passages I2 extend axially through the rear end of cap 4 to admit water to the hollow piston rod and the water nozzle I0.

A piston I3 and cup washer I3 of leather are secured to the radial flange I4 of rod 8 by a nut I5 that .is threaded upon the outer end of the rod, and air passages I6 extend through the forward enlarged end of the rod to connect the interior of the air cap I0 with the space at the rear of the piston. A flexible diaphragm I1 is secured to the rear face of the rod flange I8, and its outer edge is clamped -to the casing by the rear cap 4 to form a seal at the rear end of the piston chamber. Y

The air inlet pipe I opensinto the piston chamber through the port la, and the nozzle assembly moves forwardly, or to the left as seen in Fig. 1, when pressure air is supplied to the piston chamber. 'I'he internal cylindrical flange 3' of the front cap y3 limits this forward motion of the nozzle assembly into operative position, and a coil spring I9 is seated in the annular chamber of the cap 3 to return the nozzle assembly to the illustrated position when the air supply is cut oil'.

The hexagonal nozzle cap I0 slides within the ange 3' of the end cap but the edges of the nozzle cap iit within groves 20 of the cylindrical flange 3' to prevent relative angular movement of the end capl 3 and the nozzle cap I0. The rotation of the end cap 3 on the shell 2 therefore varies both the range of movement of the nozzle assembly and the location of the nozzle cap I with respect to the water nozzle 9. The adjustment of the cap 3 varies the evaporative capacity of the atomizer, and indicia is provided to facilitate the adjustment of' the water output to a desired value. The indicia preferably takes the form of a rlducial mark 2| on the sleeve 2 and a scale 22 of pounds per hour" on the cap 3. The threaded connection of parts 2 and 3 is relatively looseto permit rotation of the cap 3 by hand, but inadvertent rotation of the cap is prevented by a friction locking system comprising notches 23 in the knurled edge of the cap 3 and a spring finger 24 that is fixed to the sleeve 2. The parts are illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 vin the positions they occupy when the atomizer is adjusted for the minimum discharge capacity. It will be noted that the end cap 3 and nozzle cap I0 are not fully threaded upon their supports at Athis adjustment of the atomizer, and that the cap 3 may be turned dow-n still further to move the nozzle cap I0 rearwardly with respect to the water nozzle 9. The shouldered portion of the nozzle extends through the orifice of the nozzle cap I0 in this adjustment of the end cap 3, see Fig. 5, and thus cleans the air orifice. A legend or symbol 25, for example the letter C, may be stamped on the cap 3 toaline with 'mark 2| when cap 3 is turned down to clean the air nozzle.

It will be apparent that the graduated scale 22 will be accurate only when the nozzle cap I0 and the cap 3 are related in the predetermined manner upon which the scale is based. This predetermined relationship is readily obtained during the assembly of the atomizer by screwing the air nozzle cap I0 down fully upon the piston rod 8, turning the end cap 3 down to nozzle cleaning position on the sleeve 2, inserting the nozzle assembly into the sleeve 2 from the rear, and then applying the rear cap 4 to complete the assembly. The atomizer is then adjusted for operation, by backing oi the end cap 3 until the desired capacity graduation is alined with the index mark 2|. The relative position of the parts, when adjusted for maximum capacity, is shown in Fig. 6.

The air nozzle may be cleaned during operation of the humidifier system, and the evaporative capacity can also .be adjusted without taking the atomizer out of service. This possibility of an individual adjustment of the atomizers is particularly advantageous in the case of humidifier systems for large rooms or shops as the demand for additional moisture may vary ln different parts of the room at any given time, and these variations may be increased or decreased from time to time as atmospheric or other conditions cause large temperature differentials between sections of the room.

It is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to atomzers for use in humidifier systems, and that various changes may be made in the 'typical illustrated construction without departure from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. An atomizer of the type including a stationary cleaning rod, a liquid conduit member terminating in a nozzle longitudinally slidable over said cleaning rod to clean said nozzle, and a nozzle cap cooperating with said nozzle to form an annular air oriiice, characterized by the fact that said nozzle cap is provided with an opening surrounding said nozzle and is threaded upon said conduit member for movement axially thereof to change the position of said nozzle with respect to said opening and thereby to vary the size o said annular air orifice and to clean the same.

2.'An atomizer comprising a casing having a liquid and an air inlet, a conduit member slidably supported within said casing and terminating in a liquid nozzle, a stationary cleaning rod supported by said casing within said conduit member, spring means between said casing and said conduit member normally retaining said conduit member in cleaning position with respect to said cleaning rod, means operable by the admission of air to said casing against the tension of said spring means to move said conduit member to free said nozzle from said cleaning rod, a nozzle cap having a central opening surrounding said nozzle to form an annular air orifice, said nozzle cap being carried by and movable with said conduit member, and means for adjusting the discharge capacity of the atomizer; said adjusting means comprising an adjustable stop for limiting the movement of said conduit member with zespect to said cleaning rod and means for adjusting said nozzle cap axially of said nozzle to vary the size of said air orifice.

3. In an atomizer, a casing comprising a substantially cylindrical shell and an end cap threaded thereon, said casing having an inlet for a gas and an inlet for a liquid, a hollow rod longitudinally slidable in said casing and terminating in a liquid nozzle, a nozzl cap adjustably mounted on said hollow rod, said nozzle cap'having a central opening surrounding said nozzle to form an annular gas orifice, a cleaning rod iixed to said casing and having an end located within said nozzle when said atomizer is out of operation, and means including a piston on said hollow rod for moving said nozzle away from the cleaning rod upon the admission of gas to said casing, said end cap providing an adjustable stop limiting the movement of said nozzle away from said cleaning rod and simultaneously limiting the eiective size of said gas orifice.

4. In an atomizer, a casing including a substantially cylindrical shell and an end cap threaded upon the same, a gas inlet to said shell, a liquid conduit member slidably supported within and extending axially of said shell and terminating in a liquid nozzle, a cleaning` rod fixed to said casing in alignment with said nozzle, means responsive to the pressure of gas introduced into said shell for moving said nozzle with respect to said cleaning rod, a nozzle cap threaded upon the nozzle end of said conduit member and centrally apertured to cooperate with said nozzle to form an annular gas orice, means to admit gas to the interior of said nozzle cap from said shell, and spring means between said end cap and said nozzle cap opposed to the pressure of gas introduced into said shell tending to move said conduit member to position said nozzle over the end of the cleaning rod, said end cap engaging said nozzle cap for simultaneous rotary movement' while permitting independent longitudinal movement with respect to said cylindrical shell.

5. In an atomizer, the invention as claimed in claim 4, wherein said end cap has a ange constituting a stop for limiting the movement of said conduit member by gas introduced into said shell,

whereby adjustment of said end cap on said shell varies the limiting position of said nozzle with respect to the end of said cleaning rod said ange engaging said nozzle cap whereby adjustment of said end cap also varies the size of the air orice.

6. In an atomizer, the invention as claimed in claim 4, wherein said'end cap has a ilange constituting a stop for limiting the movement of said conduit member by gas introduced into said shell. and said nozzle cap and end cap havecooperating surfaces of non-circular cross-section in sliding engagement, whereby rotation of said end cap on said shell varies the position of said nozzle cap with respect to the nozzle and the limit of movement of said liquid conduit member with respect to the cleaning rod and thereby varies the rates of ow through said liquid nozzle and said annular gas orice.

7. In an atomizer, the invention as claimed in claim 4, wherein said liquid nozzle has a shouldered portion for cleaning said annular gas oriiice, and said nozzle cap and end cap have cooperating surfaces of non-circular cross-section in sliding engagement, whereby said end cap may be rotated upon said shell to move said nozzle cap axially of said liquid nozzle to clean the annular gas orifice and to adjust the effective size thereof.

8. In an atomizer, a casing comprising a substantially cylindrical shell and end caps therefor, said shell and one end cap each having a fluid inlet opening and the other end cap having a large outlet opening for iluids,`a nozzle assembly within said shell and slidably supported by said end caps; said nozzle assembly comprising a hollow rod terminating at the end adjacent said outlet end cap in a nozzle, the other end of said hollow rod being open to the lluid inlet opening of the inlet end cap, a piston on said rod between the fluid inlet opening of said shell and the outlet end cap, a, nozzle cap threaded upon the nozzle end of said hollow rod and having a central opening through which said nozzle extends, and a passage in said rod connecting the interior of said nozzle cap with the space at the opposite side of the piston.

9. An atomizer comprising a cylindrical shell. an end cap threaded into a counterbore of said shell, an end cap threaded upon the other end of said shell. a hollow rod slidably supported within said shell, a piston carried by said hollow rod. one end of said rod being slidably supported in a bore of the end cap threaded into the counter bore of said shell, a liquid nozzle at the other end of said hollow rod, a liquid inlet to said bore of said end cap, a nozzle cap threaded upon said rod between said piston and said end cap threaded upon said shell, said nozzle cap having a central opening cooperating with said noz'- zle to form an annular air orice, an air inlet opening into said shell between said piston and said end cap threaded into the counterbore of said shell, a passage in said rod connecting the interior of said nozzle cap with the space at the other side of said piston, a spring opposing movement of said piston and rod by air introduced into said shell. said end cap threaded upon the end including a stop for engagement by said piston and means locking the end cap threaded upon said shell and said nozzle cap against relative rotation.

10. An atomizer as claimed in claim 9, in combination with an annular ilexible diaphragm, the inner edge of said diaphragm being secured to said rod between the ai'r inlet to said shell and the end cap threaded into the counterbore of the shell', and the outer edge of said diaphragm being clamped to said shell by said end cap threaded into the counterbore of the shell.

ll. In an atomizer, a nozzle assembly comprising a hollow rod having a threaded end terminating in an axially extending nozzle, a piston on said rod, an annular exible diaphragm on said rod and spaced rearwardly from said piston, a nozzle cap threaded upon the threaded end of said rod, said cap having a central opening surrounding said nozzle to form an annular orice, and a passage in said rod connecting the interior of the cap to the space between said piston and diaphragm.

AGNEW H. BAHNSON, JR.

CERTIFICATE ,0F CORRECTION; Patent No. 2,511,018.- February 16, 1915,

` AGNEw H. BAHNsoN, JR.

It s hereby certified that error appears-1n the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, first column, line 5, claim 5, after the word "to" strike out "the end o`"; and second column, line 22, claim 9, after "endi' insert --of said she1l; and that the seid Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

signed and sealed lthis 50th day of March, A. D. 1915 Henry van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.' 

